Interactive whiteboards result in improved test scores, particularly in English, maths and science. This is according to a new report on the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on learner achievement.
The report, by European Schoolnet, examined the results of 17 studies on ICT produced in the United Kingdom and other European countries between 2002 and 2006.
Key findings indicate that digital content on interactive whiteboards is engaging and motivating, encourages greater student participation in the classroom, and students pay more attention during lessons.
South African educator Ron Beyers, co-author of 38 textbooks on technology, believes similar results are being achieved in local schools.
“We have created for our children a world that operates on knowledge generation rather than knowledge transfer,” says Beyers. “Children want to be much more hands-on in their own education process. They want to interact with their learning tools and subjects.
“That’s why interactive whiteboards – which allow learners and educators to access the internet during a lesson to source education content, and also to change content on the screen using their fingers or digital pens – are such powerful education media. They allow learners to access information in a way that is similar to their entertainment. They make learning a pleasure rather than a chore.”
In addition, the report shows that an overwhelming number of teachers in the UK were more confident using ICT after they taught with the interactive whiteboard.
More generally, the authors of the report state that schools new to ICT need to be patient when measuring its impact on education. During the early period of adoption, results might not seem to justify the investment, and then, in the words of the of study’s authors, “suddenly everything takes off and the added value of using ICT is considerable”.
“Many studies around the world show that the use of ICT, and specifically interactive whiteboards, is effective in engaging and motivating students,” says Nancy Knowlton, CEO of SMART Technologies, a manufacturer of interactive whiteboards.